Events

Air Force Museum to begin restoring massive Titan 4B rocket

Air Force photograph by Ken LaRock

Visitors are able to see the Titan 4B during the Behind the Scenes Tours of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force restoration hangars. The impressive Titan 4B, with roots going back to the early days of U.S. Air Force and civil space launch, is significant as the museum looks to share the story of U.S. Air Force and Air Force-enabled space operations in the Space Gallery in the new fourth building.

It sits in gigantic pieces in a World War II era hangar at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

Acquired in 2005 from Lockheed Martin, this important space artifact has been waiting in storage for restoration specialists to bring it back to life. Now, as the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force prepares for its new 224,000 square foot fourth building, the time has finally come to begin restoring the Titan 4B space launch vehicle.

This is the largest artifact we have ever restored, said Greg Hassler, a supervisor in the Restoration Division. We have moved all the pieces into our restoration hangars, and now our staff is cataloging parts and planning the best way to tackle this massive project.

The impressive Titan 4B, with roots going back to the early days of U.S. Air Force and civil space launch, is significant as the museum looks to share the story of Air Force and Air Force-enabled space operations.

The Titan 4B and the exhibit space around it will be crucial for telling the U.S. Air Force space story, said Dr. Doug Lantry, project manager for the new Space Gallery, which will be housed in the fourth building. These exhibits are important because they illustrate what the Air Force has done in space to defend our nation, how those jobs were and are done and by whom, and how the science, technology, engineering and mathematics of space work in the context of national defense history.

The Titan rocket family formed a critical component of U.S. access to space for nearly 50 years, with the first launch in 1959 and the last in 2005. More than 350 Titans were launched overall. The Titan family included two models of intercontinental ballistic missiles, and several variously configured types of space launch vehicles.

Although the museum’s Restoration Division has worked on several missiles and space launch vehicles, including the Titan I and Titan II on display in the Missile Gallery, the Titan 4B will be a unique project. Standing more than 200 feet tall, the Titan 4B is nearly twice as tall as other similar vehicles in the museum’s collection.

The Titan 4B is just a giant, Hassler said. Just one of its solid rocket motor units weighs 75,000 pounds, with a diameter of 10 and a half feet. One of the biggest challenges for our staff is going to be figuring out how to assemble and display it horizontally because it is too tall to stand up inside the gallery.

The museum’s Research Division will assist the restoration staff with curatorial research to ensure the rocket is displayed accurately. They are looking for help from those who worked in the Titan 4B program. If you or someone you know can provide expert assistance with the project, please contact the Research Division at nationalmuseum.mua@us.af.mil.

In the meantime, the staff is looking forward to the eventual display of the launch vehicle.

Titan-derived space launch vehicles boosted many important defense and civilian satellites and upper stage vehicles into orbit, Lantry said. The final exhibit, showcased in our newest building, is going to provide a great opportunity to talk about U.S. military space efforts and the story of USAF space launch.

The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, is the world’s largest military aviation museum. With free admission and parking, the museum features more than 360 aerospace vehicles and missiles and thousands of artifacts amid more than 17 acres of indoor exhibit space. Each year about one million visitors from around the world come to the museum. For more information, visit www.nationalmuseum.af.mil.

Local military discounts

News: Carter: Military leaders could arm more troops at home – Following the recent fatal shooting of four Marines and a sailor in Tennessee, Defense Secretary Ash Carter is ordering the military services to consider new policies that would enhance security for troops at home, including potentially arming more personnel. Business: DOD weighs supplier base,...

U.S. delivering eight newer F-16 warplanes to Egypt The United States Embassy in Cairo says the U.S. is delivering eight newer F-16 warplanes to Egypt as part of an ongoing military support package. It says in a July 30 statement that the aircraft, of the current Block 52 production variant, will be flown in from...

Lockheed Martin photograph A protective panel for Orion’s service module is jettisoned during testing at Lockheed Martin’s Sunnyvale, California facility. This test series evaluated design changes to the spacecraft’s fair...

Northrop Grumman has awarded the first Australian supplier contract for the U.S. Navy’s MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft system initial production lot to Ferra Engineering. Brisbane-based Ferra Engineering will manufacture mechanical sub-assemblies for the first four Triton air vehicles including structural components. “At Northrop Grumman it’s very important to not only develop...

Boeing photograph The CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter commonly known as the “Phrog,” is set to retire and to be flown one last time by Reserve Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron (HMM) 774 on Aug. 1. The CH-46 Sea Knight is a med...

Under the terms of its latest contract, Insitu will build six RQ-21A Blackjack systems for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. The $78-million Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems Lot IV Low Rate Initial Production contract is the latest event in the program’s progression toward the Initial Operational Test and Evaluation phase. “This award will...

Information

Publisher

Aerotech News and Review is published every Friday serving the aerospace and defense industry of Southern California, Nevada and Arizona. News and ad copy deadline is noon on the Tuesday prior to publication. The publisher assumes no responsibility for error in ads other than space used.

Disclaimer

The appearance of advertising in this publication, including inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by the Department of Defense, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, or Aerotech News and Review, Inc., of the products or services advertised.